l e s son

Year B
2nd Quarter
Lesson 7

The Fiery Furnace

Worship We are happy to worship God.

References

Daniel 3; Prophets and Kings, pp. 503-513.

Memory Verse

We will serve the Lord (Joshua 24:15, NIV).

Objectives

The children will:

Know that only God deserves their worship.
Feel a determination to obey God.
Respond by worshiping God with their obedience.

The Message

 e worship God when we refuse to do wrong things.

W

Getting Ready to Teach

The Bible Lesson at a Glance the fire. The king sets the men free.
Daniels three friends will not bow
down and worship the golden statue King
Nebuchadnezzar has built. King Nebu
chadnezzar becomes very angry and orders Daniels three friends to be tied up
and thrown into a fiery furnace. God protects them, and the fire doesnt burn them
at all. The king sees four people in the furnace. Jesus has come to be with them in

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This is a lesson about worship.

Daniels three friends chose to stand
firm before the king and all the people.
We worship God when we stand firm for
the right regardless of circumstances.

Teacher Enrichment

Not all had bowed the knee to the

Seven
Program Outline

1
*
2

Lesson Section

Minutes

Activities

Welcome

ongoing Greet students at door; hear

pleased/troubled

Readiness
up to 10
Options
Prayer and
Praise*

up to 10

A. Musical Obedience
B
 . Elemental Quiz

Materials Needed

none

cassette or CD player, recorded music

bottle of water, picture of a fire,
inflated balloon

See page 73.

*Prayer and Praise may be

used at any time during the program.

Bible Lesson up to 20

Experiencing the Story

toy musical or rhythm instruments

Bible Study

Bible

Memory Verse Bible

3
4

Applying
the Lesson

up to 15

Teacher Says

none

Sharing
up to 15
Fiery Furnace
fiery furnace pattern (see p. 143);
the Lesson paper; small orange, red, yellow

cellophane or tissue pieces; crayons;

glue

idolatrous symbol of human power. In

the midst of the worshiping multitude
there were three men who were firmly
resolved not thus to dishonor the God of
heaven. Their God was King of kings and
Lord of lords; they would bow to none
other (Prophets and Kings, p. 506).
But firmly the Hebrews testified to
their allegiance to the God of heaven,
and their faith in His power to deliver.
The act of bowing to the image was understood by all to be an act of worship.
Such homage they could render to God
alone (Prophets and Kings, p. 507).

But the Lord did not forget His

own. As His witnesses were cast into
the furnace, the Savior revealed Himself
to them in person, and together they
walked in the midst of the fire. In the
presence of the Lord of heat and cold,
the flames lost their power to consume
(Prophets and Kings, pp. 508, 509).

Room Decorations

See Lesson 5. Also add a fiery furnace by using the dark sheet or material
draped over chairs used for the cave in
Lesson 3.

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Lesson 7

Teaching the Lesson

Welcome

Welcome students at the door. Ask how their week has beenwhat
they are pleased/troubled about. Encourage them to share any experiences from last weeks lesson study. Have them begin the readiness
activity of your choice.

Readiness Activities

Select the activity most appropriate for your situation.

A. Musical Obedience

Arrange the chairs so that the children are sitting back to

You Need:
back, minus one chair. (If you have benches, mark them in
some way, maybe with masking tape so that the children know q cassette or
how many of them can fit.) Say: We are going to play muCD player
sical chairs, but were going to do it the opposite way. q recorded
You walk around when the music stops, and sit down
music
when you hear the music start. When everyone except one
child has found a seat, take away one chair or X out one spot on the bench. The
child without a seat should sit outside the game area. Play several rounds of this.
Some of the children may push and shove to get a space. Dont reprimand them.
Debriefing
Allow responses as you ask: How did it feel not to have a place to sit
when the music started? What kind of feeling do you have when you
are the only one who is left out of something or the only one doing
something different? Do you want to do such things, as pushing and
shoving, in order to be like everyone else?
Our Bible story is about three friends who wouldnt bow down
when they heard music start playing. Even though others were
doing the wrong thing and they stood alone, they chose to do right.
Todays message is:

We worship God when we refuse to do wrong things.

B. Elemental Quiz

In advance, place a bottle of water, a picture of fire, and

an inflated balloon where all can see. Say: We are going to
play a guessing game. The answers are outside, but
they are also in this room. Ill give you clues, and I
want you to look around and walk over to what you
think Im talking about. If you are near it, I will say
hot. If you are not, I will say cold. Call childrens
names before saying hot or cold.

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You Need:
q bottle of

water
q picture of

a fire
q inflated

balloon

Lesson 7

I am wet and helpful when you are thirsty or dirty. You can play
in me or sail on me. (water)
I am red, but sometimes I am blue, or yellow, or white. I keep you
warm, but I can also burn you. (fire)
I cant be seen. I can only be felt. In winter I am cold; in summer I
am hot. I make tree leaves move and make bubbles float. (air or wind)
Debriefing
Allow response time as you ask: Do you know who made all of these
things? Right, God did. Thats why we worship Him, because He
made the earth and everything in it. Because of that, He is the only
God we want to worship.
Our Bible story is about three friends who were asked to worship
a statue, but they said no. They did the right thing, even though
everyone around them was doing wrong. Todays message is:

We worship God when we refuse to do wrong things.

Say that with me.

Prayer and Praise

Fellowship
Report students joys and sorrows (pleased and troubled) as reported to
you at the door (as appropriate). Allow time for sharing experiences from last
weeks lesson study and review the memory verse. Acknowledge any birthdays, special events, or achievements. Give a warm greeting to all visitors.
Suggested Songs
Making Music (Little Voices Praise Him, No. 220)
Come Praise the Lord (Little Voices Praise Him, No. 211)
Jesus Helps Me Choose (Little Voices Praise Him, No. 304)
Little Feet, Be Careful (Little Voices Praise Him, No. 307)
Sad or Glad (Little Voices Praise Him, No. 271)
Mission
Use a story from Childrens Mission.
Offering
Say: We worship God when we give Him our offerings.
Prayer
Demonstrate the different postures people use when praying to God:
kneeling, sitting, standing. Say: No matter how we pray to God, we
worship God when we pray. Offer a short prayer.
*Prayer and Praise may be used at any time during the program.

73

Lesson 7

Bible Lesson

Experiencing the Story

band was ready to play music [play

instruments] when he gave the signal.
Finally, the kings head soldier [march
q toy musical
in place] stood in front of the great
or rhythm
crowd and shouted, Listen to King
instruments
Nebuchadnezzars command! When the
band plays music [play instruments], you
When they hear:
The children
must bow down and worship the golden
will:
statue. Anyone who doesnt obey will be
thrown into the fire!
soldier(s) march in place;
Suddenly the music [play instruments] began. The whole crowd
music pretend to play
fell down and worshiped King
music
Nebuchadnezzars golden statue.
Everybody, that is, except Daniels three
best friends, Shadrach, Meshach, and
Practice these before telling the story. Abednego. They worshiped only God.
They could never worship the kings
Read or tell the story.
statue!
King Nebuchadnezzar was very proud
Some of the soldiers [march in
of himself. The gigantic golden statue
place] and wise men hurried to talk to
he had built was finished and stood tall
King Nebuchadnezzar. You said all
where everyone could see it. He had
the people were to bow down and
invited all the important people from
worship the statue when the music
his kingdom to come see it. He thought
[play instruments] began, or they
they would really like his statue and think would be thrown into the fire. Look!
he was a great king.
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego
The next day all the important
did not bow down!
people, including Shadrach, Meshach,
King Nebuchadnezzars face turned
and Abednego, came to see King
ugly. He was angry! Bring Shadrach,
Nebuchadnezzars statue. Everyone
Meshach, and Abednego here! the king
stared at the big gold statue. Everyone,
ordered.
including Shadrach, Meshach, and
The soldiers [march in place] hurried
Abednego, also stared at a big, dark
off to bring Shadrach, Meshach, and
cavelike building near the statue.
Abednego to the king.
Soldiers [march in place] were building
Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach, and
a big fire in it.
Abednego, that you refused to worship
Why are the soldiers [march in
the golden statue I have set up? King
place] doing that? Shadrach, Meshach,
Nebuchadnezzar asked.
and Abednego whispered to one anYes, said Shadrach, Meshach, and
other.
Abednego.
Nearby, King Nebuchadnezzars
I will give you one more chance,

You Need:

74

Divide the class into two groups,

each with an adult helper. Assign the
following, one to each group, and
allow time for practice before telling
the story.

Lesson 7

King Nebuchadnezzar said. But if

you dont bow down and worship the
statue, you will be thrown into the
blazing fire!
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego
stood straight and tall in front of King
Nebuchadnezzar. You can throw us into
the fire, they said. Our God is able to
save us from your power. But even if
He decides not to save us, we will never
worship the golden statue!
Make the fire seven times hotter!
King Nebuchadnezzar screamed to the
soldiers. [march in place] Tie up these
men and throw them into the fire!
So the soldiers [march in place]
tied up Shadrach, Meshach, and
Abednego and threw them into the
roaring fire while the king and the
great crowd of people watched. The
fire was so hot that many of the soldiers [march in place] died when
they threw Shadrach, Meshach, and
Abednego into the furnace.
Ha! King Nebuchadnezzar thought.
That will take care of Shadrach, Meshach,
and Abednego! But when he looked into
the furnace, he jumped up and shouted,
Didnt we tie up three men and throw
them into the fire? I see four men in
there! And the fourth man looks like the
son of God!
King Nebuchadnezzar went as close
to the roaring fire as he could. Shadrach,
Meshach, Abednego! Come out! the king
called.
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego
stepped out of the fire. Everyone
crowded around them. They touched
their skin. They fingered their hair. They
examined their clothes. They couldnt
believe it! Shadrach, Meshach, and
Abednego had been in the fire, but
their clothes werent burned! Their skin
wasnt hurt! They didnt even smell like
smoke!

Praise the God of Shadrach,

Meshach, and Abednego! King
Nebuchadnezzar exclaimed. Their God
has saved His servants from the fire. No
other God can save people like this!
Debriefing
Allow responses as you ask: Who
do you think was in the fire with
Shadrach, Meshach, and
Abednego? How do you think they
felt when Jesus saved them from
the fire? They felt like worshiping
God, didnt they? But they had already worshiped God. Do you know
how? They worshiped God when
they refused to bow down to King
Nebuchadnezzars statue. They refused to do wrong. Remember . . .

We worship God when

we refuse to do
wrong things.
Say that with me.

Bible Study

Open your Bible to Daniel 3.

Point to the text and say: This is
where todays story is found
in Gods Word, the Bible. Read
selected verses aloud, paraphrasing
as necessary.

You Need:
q Bible

Debriefing
Allow response time as you ask:
What was the kings statue made
of? What did King Nebuchadnezzar
want everyone to do when the
music started playing? Who didnt
obey the king? Why?
What did the king do to
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego?
What happened to the three men in
the fire? Who was with them?
Will Jesus be with you when you

75

Lesson 7

We Point to self, then

to others.

refuse to do something wrong?

Yes, Jesus will be with you when
you choose to worship Him by
obeying Him. Remember . . .

will serve Move hands away

from body, palms
up.

We worship God when

we refuse to do
wrong things.

the Lord. Point upward.

Joshua Palms together,
24:15
then open.

Say that with me.

Memory Verse

Turn to Joshua
24:15 and say: This is
where we find our
q Bible
memory verse in
Gods Word, the Bible. Read the memory verse aloud: We will serve the
Lord. Then use the following to teach it:

You Need:

Applying the Lesson

Teacher Says

Say: We are going to play a

game called Teacher Says. Im
going to tell you things to do.
Some will be right. Some will be
wrong.
Listen carefully because I know
you want to do the right thing.
When I ask you to do the right
thing, take one step forward.
When I ask you to do something
wrong, take one step backward.
Have the children line up side by side.
Give instructions for doing unkind things
by prefacing them with Teacher says.
Give instructions for doing kind things
without teacher says. This will help
the children understand how the three
Hebrews felt when they refused to obey

76

King Nebuchadnezzars authority because

they chose to worship only God. Say:
Hug your grandma.
Teacher says, hit your brother.
Teacher says, yell at your
mother.
Give your mother a present.
Teacher says, break someones
toy.
Share your toys.
Clean your room.
Teacher says, disobey your Dad.
Say your memory verse.
Teacher says, keep teasing your
sister.
Debriefing
Allow response time as you ask: Was

Lesson 7

it hard to think you had to do

what Teacher said? Why? (Because
these things were wrong.) Have you
ever been told by someone to do
something you knew was wrong?
What did you do? Was it hard to
know what to do?
Even though it might be embarrassing to be different or to say
no, we want always to obey God

and do the right thing as Shadrach,

Meshach, and Abednego did. So
lets remember todays message:

We worship God when

we refuse to do
wrong things.
Say that with me.

Sharing the Lesson

Fiery Furnace

In advance, copy the fiery furnace

pattern (see p. 143) for each child, and
cut the cellophane or tissue paper into
small pieces. Have the children color the
picture and then glue on some small
pieces of cellophane or tissue paper to
look like fire in the furnace. Ask: Do you
know what the fiery furnace says
on it? Its our message:

We worship God when

we refuse to do wrong
things.

Debriefing
Allow response time as you ask:
Is it always easy to refuse to
do wrong things? Who helped
Shadrach, Meshach, and
Abednego? Who will help you?
Take your fiery furnace
home with you and share it
with someone as you tell
them about the three men
who refused to worship a
statue. And remember:

You Need:
q fiery

q
q

We worship God
when we refuse to
do wrong things.
Say that with me.

q
q

furnace
pattern
(see p. 143)
paper
small
orange,
red, yellow
cellophane
or tissue
paper
pieces
crayons
glue

Closing

Pray that the children will say no to wrong things because

they worship God.

77

Lesson 7

s t u d e n t

References

Daniel 3;
Prophets and
Kings, pp. 503513

The Fiery Furnace

Has anyone ever wanted you to do something wrong? What did you do? Shadrach,
Meshach, and Abednego were asked to do something wrong too.

It was finished at last. The gigantic

golden statue King Nebuchadnezzar
Memory Verse had ordered to be made stood tall
as tall as an eight-story building! The
We will serve the
next day, many rulers who served
Lord (Joshua
Nebuchadnezzar gathered in the valley.
24:15, NIV).
They stared up at the
huge golden statue.
The Message
The rulers also stared
at a large furnace near
the statue. Soldiers were
building a big fire in it.
Why are they doing
that? people whispered.
Finally a man stood
before the crowd.
People! he shouted.
Listen to the kings
command! When the
musicians play, you must
bow down and worship
the kings golden statue. Anyone who
doesnt obey will be thrown into this
blazing furnace!
Suddenly the music burst forth.
Everyone fell down. Everyone except
Daniels three friends, Shadrach,
Meshach, and Abednego. They were
Hebrews, Gods special children. They
couldnt worship a statue! Some men
saw them and hurried to the king.
Look! they exclaimed. Those three
Hebrews did not bow down!
King Nebuchadnezzars face turned
red with anger. Bring them here! he
ordered.
The guards rushed to obey. So
you did not bow down to worship the
golden statue! the king shouted at the
three Hebrews. I will give you one more

We worship
God when we
refuse to do
wrong things.

78

l e s s o n

chance. But if you dont bow down and

worship the statue, you will be thrown
into the blazing fire! Who will help you
then?
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego
stood straight and tall. O, King, they
said, our God is able
to save us. But even if
He decides not to, we
will never worship your
gods or the golden
statue!
Make the fire seven
times hotter! King
Nebuchadnezzar shouted
angrily to the soldiers.
Tie up these men and
throw them into the furnace!
So the guards threw
Shadrach, Meshach, and
Abednego into the roaring fire.
King Nebuchadnezzar watched the
fire. He soon jumped up and shouted,
Didnt we put three men into the furnace? I see four! And the fourth looks
like the Son of God!
Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego!
Come out! the king called.
The young Hebrews stepped out
of the fire. The rulers crowded around.
They couldnt believe it! Shadrach,
Meshach, and Abednego were not
burned. They didnt even smell like
smoke!
Praise the God of Shadrach,
Meshach, and Abednego! the king exclaimed. Their God saved His servants
from the fire. No other God can save
people like this!

Lesson 7

Do and Say
Sabbath

Wednesday

Each day this week, read the lesson story together

and review the memory verse.
We. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Point to self, then to others.
will serve. . . . . . . . . . Move hands away from
body, palms up.
the Lord.. . . . . . . . . . Point upward.
Joshua 24:15. . . . . . . Palms together, then open.

Light a candle. Explain

that the flame colors change
as the heat of the flame
changes. Discuss safety in
using matches and candles.
Visit a fire station or
read a book about fires
to help your child
understand what the
Hebrews escaped from.

Sunday

Encourage your child to share the fiery furnace

they made in Sabbath School (or help draw and color
an outline of a furnace with four men in it) and tell
the Bible story as they share the fiery furnace with
someone.

Monday
With your child, take an
empty egg carton outside and
fill it with things God made
(one item per cup). Talk about
how only God can make these things,
so only He deserves our worship.

Thursday
March around your house to marching music and
have your child freeze when you stop the music;
then begin marching when you start the music again.
Remind your child that Shadrach, Meshach, and
Abednego were asked to bow down to worship the
statue when they heard the music.
Tell your child about a time you refused to do
something wrong. What happened? Pray that your
child will say No to doing wrong.

Tuesday

Friday

Talk to your child about fire safety. Say: If a friend

wants to play with fire, it is dangerous and wrong.
(Discuss why.) Say: We worship God by refusing to do
wrong things. Ask: Do you want to be brave for Jesus
as the three Hebrews were?

Have your child tell the Bible story for worship.

Sing praise songs using musical instruments or pots
and pans for accompaniment. Pray that your family
members will serve only God.

79